Hermetically sealed carton



Dec. 29, 1964 1.. R. HINTZ 3,163,346

HERMETICALLY SEALED CARTON Filed Jan. 30, 1965 3 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR. LAWRENCE R. HINTZ Dec. 29, 1964 L. R. HINTZ HERMETICALLY SEALED CARTON 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 30, 1963 INVENTOR. LAWRENCE R. HINTZ Dec. 29, 1964 L. R. HINTZ HERMETICALLY SEALED CARTON 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 50, 1963 INVENTOR. LAWRENCE R. HINTZ end closures.

3,163,346 HERMETECALLY SEALED CARTGN Lawrence R. Hintz, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The ,Mead Corporation, Dayton, Ghio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 254,979 6 (Ilaims. (El. 229-37) This invention relates to a sift proof and hermetically sealed carton.

Generally, there is provided a carton formed of a single die cut and scored blank of cardboard, paperboard or corrugated fibre board or other suitable foldable sheet material. The blank has integral flaps foldable to form The closure flaps are designed so that they can be alternately inwardly and outwardly disposed substantially in a plane perpendicular to the circumferentially continuous sides of thecarton during formation and sealing of the closures. While the flaps are so disposed, a sheet or" flexible thermoplastic material is laid over the flaps and heat sealed thereto. flaps are then bent into the planes of the side walls to which they are integrally attached along scored fold lines. This permits marginal portions of the thermoplastic sheets to be pressed against and heat sealed to adjacent margins of the carton side panels for better anchorage thereto. Finally, the outturned closure flaps are folded over the inturned flaps of the carton to protect the sealing sheet from rupture and to complete the carton closure.

It is an object of this invention to provide a carton which is hermetically sealed against the loss of its cornniinuted contents and/or against damage from leakage of air into the carton or of volatile ingredients from the carton.

It is another object of the invention to provide a carton of the character described having both ends thereof hermetically sealed by thin panels of plastic material heat sealed to integral end closure flaps. I,

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a carton in which the closure flaps can be disposed substantially in a plane perpendicular to the side carton panels so that the sealing panels can be easily and efiiciently applied thereto in flat condition.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a more secure attachment of the margins of the sealing panels by overlapping said margins onto the adjacent margins of the carton side panels by a novel assembly step hereinafter described. a

A further object of the invention is to provide a carto of the herein disclosed type having end closure flaps which completely cover the sealing panels to protect them against rupture by internally or externally generated forces.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following specification taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a carton blank according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the blank of Pro- URE 1 folded into open ended tubular form;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the carton of FIG- URE 2 with pairs of its end flaps folded into partial closure forming positions;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the closure flaps folded into substantially planar arrangements ,and showing the sealing panels about to be positioned over said flaps;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the disclosure of FIGURE 4 with the sealing panels heat sealed over the closure flaps;

Certain of the,

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the assemblage of FIGURE 5 with the outside closure flaps erected and with margins of the sealing panels heat sealed to the margins of the adjacent carton side panels,

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view showing three of the four closure flaps in their overlapping closing positions; and

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of the completed carton. 7

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates a preferred form of the carton embodying the present invention. Carton it is formed of a single blank 11 of cardboard, paperboard or corrugated fibre board or other suitable relatively stiff but bendable sheet material. Blank 11 is divided by four parallel scored fold lines 12 and by a pair of parallel scored fold lines 3.3 into front and back panels 14 and lS, respectively,

' side panels 1e and 17, and a narrow panel 18 for adhesive attachment to the free edge of side panel 16, FIGUREZ. Fold lines 12 and 13 also define, alongth'e top and bottom margins of blank 11, two sets of closure flaps,

each comprising opposed inner-s flaps 19 and 2t? and opposed'o uter fiaps 21 and 22." The outer closure flaps 21 and 22 desirablyhave extension tabs 23 to provide overlapping gluing portions or tabs on flaps Z1 and 22. inwardly folding webs or gussets 24, further defined by diagonal fold lines 25, integrally connect adjacent end edges of closure ilaps'19-22. A pair of small. closure flaps 26 is glued to the inner surfaces of the free ends of closure flaps 19 at the same time the gluing panel 18 sealing sheets 27 and 23, respectively, poised for engagement over the plan'arly disposed closure flaps preparatory to being heat; sealed thereto, FIGURE 5. Next, outside closure flaps 22, and 23 are bent back into the planes of their adjacent connected front and back carton panels Hand 15, respectively. Then, the overhanging margins of sealing sheets 2'7 and 23 are pressed at 29 against adjacent margins of panels 14-17 and at 39 against the triangular ends of closure flaps 22 and 23, and are heat sealed thereto, as shown in FIGURE 6.

Finally, the outer closure flaps '21 and 22 are sequentially folded over the ends of carton it FIGURES T and 8, with their tabs 23 overlapping and adhered thereto.

While for simplicity of disclosure, the topalnd bottom closures have been described as being simultaneously.

formed and closed, it is apparent that the bottom closure will be made first, after which the carton will be filled and then the top closure sealed and closed.

While the foregoing presents a preferred embodiment V of the present invention, it is obvious that other modificabe cut and sealingly pressed coextensively with the margins of panels 14-17 so as to eliminate overhanging margins shown at 25 in FlGURES 68 inclusive. And if desired, extension tabs 23 of the outer closure flaps 21 and 22 may be eliminated so as to provide coextensive sealing flaps with abutting margins. The latter arrangement would thereafter more readily permit opening inner closure flap 2t) together with its adjacent gussets 24 to form a pouring spout for dispensing the contents of the subject carton.

What is claimed is:

l. A sealed material containing carton comprising: a plurality of edge joined panels joined to provide circumferentially continuous front, back and side Walls of said carton, said carton having a plurality of edge joined closure flaps integrally connected along fold lines to at least one end of said carton, said closure flaps providing circumferentially continuous band of flaps, an opposed pair of said. closure flaps having diagonally disposed scored fold lines adjacent each end thereof defining gusset like triangular webs integrally connecting the ends of said opposed pair of closure flaps to the adjacent ends of the other opposed pair of closure flaps, whereby during the formation of a closure from said band of flaps one opposed pair can be folded outwardly to dispose all of said flaps substantially in the plane of the adjacent end of said carton, anda sealing sheet of flexible material covering said end of said carton and adhered to surfaces of said closure flaps exposed in said plane to seal said carton end, said outwardly folded flaps being inwardly folded in substantially coplanar disposition over said sealing sheet and over said inwardly disposed flaps and fastened in said coplanar disposition in the completed condition of said closure.

2. Structure according to claim 1, said first opposed pair of closure flaps having an extension tab on the free edge of at least one of said'flaps to overlap at least a portion of the other flap of said first pair to provide coextensive contact areas therebetween for adhesively interconnecting said flaps.

3. Structure according to claim 1, said sealing sheet having marginal portions extending over adjacent marginal portions of said wall panels and adhered thereto.

4. Structure according to claim 3, said sealing sheet also substantially covering and beingadhered to said triangular webs.

5. Structure according to claim 1, said sealing sheet being transparent to permit'observation of the contents of said carton when certain of said closure fiaps are out of coplanar disposition.

6. Structure according to claim 1, said sealing sheet being formed of thermoplastic material and being heat sealed to said closure flaps.

References Cited inlthe file of this patent UNETED STATES PATENTS 

1. A SEALED MATERIAL CONTAINING CARTON COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF EDGE JOINED PANELS JOINED TO PROVIDE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY CONTINUOUS FRONT, BACK AND SIDE WALLS OF SAID CARTON, SAID CARTON HAVING A PLURALITY OF EDGE JOINED CLOSURE FLAPS INTEGRALLY CONNECTED ALONG FOLD LINES TO ATLEAST ONE END OF SAID CARTON, SAID CLOSURE FLAPS PROVIDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY CONTINUOUS BAND OF FLAPS, AN OPPOSED PAIR OF SAID CLOSURE FLAPS HAVING DIAGONALLY DISPOSED SCORED FOLD LINES ADJACENT EACH END THEREOF DEFINING GUSSET LIKE TRIANGULAR WEBS INTEGRALLY CONNECTING THE ENDS OF SAID OPPOSED PAIR OF CLOSURE FLAPS TO THE ADJACENT ENDS OF THE OTHER OPPOSED PAIR OF CLOSURE FLAPS, WHEREBY DURING THE FORMATION OF A CLOSURE FROM SAID BAND OF FLAPS ONE OPPOSED PAIR CAN BE FOLDED OUTWARDLY TO DISPOSE ALL OF SAID FLAPS SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLANE OF THE ADJACENT END OF SAID CARTON, AND A SEALING SHEET OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL COVERING SAID END OF SAID CARTON AND ADHERED TO SURFACES OF SAID CLOSURE FLAPS EXPOSED IN SAID PLANE TO SEAL SAID CARTON END, SAID OUTWARDLY FOLDED FLAPS BEING INWARDLY FOLDED IN SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR DISPOSITION OVER SAID SEALING SHEET AND OVER SAID INWARDLY DISPOSED FLAPS AND FASTENED IN SAID COPLANAR DISPOSITION IN THE COMPLETED CONDITION OF SAID CLOSURE. 